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About 45 minutes after a tweet by USA Basketball coach Geno Auriemma, the Atlanta Dream announced today that they have replaced coach and general manager Marynell Meadors with current assistant coach Fred Williams.
— Geno Auriemma (@genoauriemma) August 27, 2012
@marynellmeaders gets fired atlanta owners cave in inmate in charge#coachingisaBitch
The news comes after star wing Angel McCoughtry had missed consecutive games after the Olympic break due to unexplained "personal reasons", as described by Kris Willis of SB Nation Atlanta previously.
The release included the following statement from the team:
"As a team, we are unified in our drive to build on what we've achieved in our first five years," said Williams. "We want to acknowledge the strong contribution that Marynell Meadors made to this organization. Our franchise will continue to build on the tradition of speed, scoring and tough defense that has resulted in back-to-back Eastern Conference championships."
"Coach Williams bring a wealth of experience, a strong sense of teamwork, and demonstrated commitment to the role of Head Coach and General Manager," said Atlanta Dream Co-owners Mary Brock and Kelly Loeffler. "We have tremendous respect for her contribution to this sport and wish Coach Meadors the very best in her future endeavors."
The details of what actually happened in that situation are still murky, but Auriemma's tweet suggests an ugly ending to the tenure of the only head coach in Dream history.
For more on this story as it develops, stay tuned to the SB Nation Atlanta storystream.